----- Original Message -----
Sent: Tuesday, January 11, 2005 10:06
PM
Subject: RE: [RR] Discipleship I
mentoring
Mark,
You
are correct in that if the level of trust is not built up between you and your
Paul (mentor) or you and your Silas/Barnabas (accountability partner) then
opening up to one another will not work.
The
purpose is not the confession of sins (since Jesus bore all our sins already)
but to be built up by those we trust and can be open with. Would I tell the
negative times of my life to just anyone. No way!
If
we were not to mentor and be mentored to, then Jesus would not have used that
technique with the twelve disciples. And furthermore, He would not have told
them to go out and do likewise.
Point One: I have re-read the material (always a good
thing for me :-) and I cannot find where it says to confess our sins to
another. What it does say is that in building a relationship based on trust
there needs to be openness, a willingness to be evaluated, a willingness to
work on our weaknesses and a willingness to submit to another. On the last
point, if we cannot be willing to submit to another, how can we expect to
submit to Jesus and the Holy Spirit.
Point two: Confession of sins to others is Biblical.
Please read James 5:16 "Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for
one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a
righteous man avails much." Does this mean that I run through my church
shouting out my shortcomings and sins or sit in a little box and ask another
for forgiveness of my sins. No, forgiveness only comes from the blood of
Jesus. But, Jesus has placed spiritual brothers and sisters around us to help
us be accountable to Christ. If we can find those we can trust and share our
weaknesses with them, they can help us grow.
Point Three: Proverbs 27:17 "As iron sharpens iron,
so one man sharpens another." and verse 19 "As water reflects a face, so a
man's heart reflects the man." God is showing us that he has placed others in
our life to prune and sharpen us spiritually. If we use spiritual discernment,
God will place those in our life that can help us be a better Christian. Do
they replace Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit. By no means, they are only
there to help.
You
are most correct when saying that if we share with others and not with God
(invoke His power) then we are setting ourselves up for a fall. We can learn
from others and they can help us through the difficult times. It may be by a
Word from God to that individual for us. It may be from a personal experience
they had in the past. What ever it is, I believe we can help to build each
other up.
This
was not meant as a rebuke in any shape or form. I bring it the love of
Jesus Christ. I love you brother and I'm here for you (just as I pray you are
there for me).
God
bless and let's keep the discussion going....
Bob
Triphahn
The question was asked about where I found the
confessing your sins section in the Discipleship I section. pages 9 -
13 in the mentoring section. Do a search for mentor in the pdf
file.
The point I am trying to bring up to the front
is this. Do we believe God for his prescribed method of living a
sanctified life or do we follow man's methods. In this LTA
Discipleship I section it says we believe God as he is the ultimate
councilor but we want to add some to that and say find you a "paul" and
confess to him what you have been thinking doing...etc.
My wife and I discussed this point for some
time.
The catholics do this at a confessional.
AA does this in group meetings.
I have a whole bunch of faces in my mind that
trusted man with their inner most secrets. They got burnt very badly by
spirit filled dedicated christain folk.
As a Jehovah's Witness I witnessed "public
reproof", disfellowshiping, all old testement law. Biblical
but not new covenant.
I have first hand experience with modern day
christian councilors. I have experienced first
hand Headquarters firing a Godly man from the notes
collected from in church in house counciling. In this case a
million dollar law suit was filed and won against this church and
headquarters tried to cover it up.
My point is do you really want to by
pass sharing your faults with God asking him to help you and trust
in what Jesus has done for us. This is how things are fixed
anyway.
Every time you share what you have thought,
done with someone other than the God who can fix it you are leaving yourself
open to a imperfect sinful man who uses modern day man made pyscoloigy
instead of faith in Jesus.
God won't let you down. Man will almost
every time.
Mark
Jones
